There's Proehl and Metzelaars and ...

Walk into a tent along the water to talk to the Indianapolis Colts Wednesday morning, and it's like being back in Charlotte. Except for the panoramic view of the beach and the water and the balmy temperature and the sunshine shimmering off the gentle waves, it's like being back in Charlotte is what I'm trying to say.

There's receiver Ricky Proehl, the former Carolina Panther. There's center Jeff Saturday, the former North Carolina Tar Heel. There's assistant head coach Jim Caldwell, the former head coach at Wake Forest. And there's former Panther tight end and former Charlotte Christian and Wingate assistant coach Pete Metzelaars.

Pete - I'm tired of looking up his vowel-collection of a last name to make sure I spelled it correctly - is Indianapolis' offensive quality control coach, and I must say that this season he has controlled the offensive quality of the Colts exceptionally.

He played in four Super Bowls with Buffalo, so this is his fifth. Since he played for Buffalo he's 0-4. And you think there's pressure on Peyton Manning to win one.

Any connection between Charlotte Christian and Wingate and the Super Bowl XLI Colts?

"Probably not really, other than being willng to do whatever you have to do," says Pete. "I used to have to line fields and do laundry and collect the stuff and pass out equipment, so whatever I have to do I'm willing to do that."

Pete scored the first touchdown in Panthers history.

"It always will be," he says.

Remember it?

"I think it was a corner route, I want to say it was a Z-spot," says Pete. "The wide receiver ran a hook and I ran a corner route from the 12-yard line and it was the first drive of the regular season, and we just drove down the field, doink, doink, doink, touchdown pass."